Odometer



Aug, 2%, WW WEINREICH ODOMETER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 28, 1966 ODOMETER Filed July 28, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent Office 3,338,514 Patented Aug. 29, 1967 3,338,514 ODOMETER Sol Weinreich, 167 Herricks Road, New Hyde Park, N.Y. 11040 Filed July 28, 1966, Ser. No. 568,465 13 Claims. (Cl. 235-117) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In counting devices as previously made, when a first drum containing numerals has reached numeral 9 a second drum is engaged and is carried along, so that it moves gradually into its next position. During this movement, parts of adjacent numerals are visible creating confusion in attempts to read them. Furthermore, after a numeral has reached its next position, it may be carried along too far, and then returning, which creates a bounce as the drum falls or snaps into its stop position.

The present invention is intended and adapted to overcome the difliculties and disadvantages inherent in devices of the type referred to above, it being among the objects of the present invention to provide a counting device in which there is a mechanism which is adapted to select and drive drums simultaneously and at the same speed regardless of the number of drums involved.

It is also amongythe objects of the present invention to provide a mechanism which has a positive nonbouncing stop position for all drums, which are adapted to move only upon demand and which are driven all the way to dead stop.

The invention is based upon the principle that the drive for all stop and go drums is directly from a single shaft on which all such drums are mounted. Said shaft may be a constantly revolving or a pulsed shaft. Clutch mechanisms are mounted between adjacent drums which are held from rotating by individual stops. Solenoids are provided which, when activated, will release designated stops to permit these drums to move simultaneously to the next stop position. Such stops may be mechanically or electrically controlled.

The invention is more fully described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings constituting a part hereof, in which like reference characters indicate like parts, and in which FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a counting device made in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view thereof, some parts being shown in elevation;

FIG. 3 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar 44 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a partial view similar to FIG. 3, and taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the essential elements showing electrical means for releasing specified drums.

A casing 1 has bearings 2 and 3 at the opposite ends 4 and 5, and carrying shaft 6 for rotation by suitable means, not shown. Disk 7 has unit drum 8 thereon and mounted for free rotation on shaft 6 on bearing 2. Gear 10 meshes with gear 11 mounted on stub 12 which, in

to FIG. 3 taken along line turn, is held inbearing 13 fixed onto fixed partition 14 which carries shaft bearing 15. The ratio of gears 10 and 11 is 1 to 1.

Gear 16 on stub 12 meshes with gear 17, the ratio between these gears being 1 to 10. Gear 17 on hub :18 is held in fixed relation to shaft 6 by set screw 19. Said hub 18 is fixed to disk 20 carrying tens drum 21. Thereby, shaft 6 drives tens dr-um 21 through gearing 17-16119 simultaneously with unit drum 8 and at one-tenth the speed thereof.

Block 22 fixed by pin 23 to shaft 6 carries coil spring 24 as one part of a clutch, the other part 25 being fixed onto disk 26 carrying hundreds drum 27. During rotation of shaft 6 with drums 8 and 21, drum 27 is normally withheld from any movement by a stop mechanism. As shown particularly in FIG. 3, disk 26 has a series of ten stop pins 28 around the periphery thereof. Solenoid 29 has armature 30 connected to stop lever 31 pivoted at 32 and a spring 33 tends to pull the left-hand end of said lever down against limit pin 34. The right-hand end of said lever bears normally against stop pin 28 holding it from movement by causing slippage of clutch 24-25 during rotation of shaft 6.

When the counting device is being used for addition, the shaft rotates in the direction of arrow 36. Microswitch 37 is connected to a source 38 of power and carries contact 39 which has operating finger 40. The latter is adapted to make contact with operating pin 41 to raise finger 40 closing switch 37. Thereby current flows through wiring 42 energizing solenoid 29 pulling lever 31 down to release stop pin 28 permitting drum 20 to rotate by the action of clutch 2425. Before disk 20 has rotated one-tenth of a revolution, finger 40 has been released breaking the circuit. Lever 31 has returned to its original position by spring 33 and, when the adjacent stop pins have reached end 35 of lever 31, the rotation of disk 20 is stopped. Since there is only one operating pin 41 on disk 20, the latter will not be actuated until ten stop pins on the disk have been passed.

If the counting device is to be used for subtraction, shaft 6 is rotated in the direction of arrow 43. Microswitch 44 has contact 45 and operating finger 46 to contact with an operating pin (not shown) analogous to pin 41. Solenoid 47 has armature 48 operating lever 49 pivoted at 50 and held by spring 51 against limit pin 52. Preferably, a separate circuit is provided for subtraction so that when solenoid 47 is operating solenoid 29 is inoperative and vice versa.

As shown in the drawings, there are additional drums in series. They are designated as 55, 56 and 57. All are similarly connected as, for example, drum 55 has part 58 of a clutch fixed thereon, against which spring 59 bears, the other end of the spring being anchored on block 60 pinned to shaft 6 at 61. Any desired number of such drum units may be so mounted in series. It is understood that the data on said drum may relate to other than the decimal system of numbers.

The tens register wheel 21 is keyed to shaft 6 at 19. It transmits motion to unit Wheel 8 by means of a pair of gears 16-17 (ratio 1:10) and a pair of gears 10-11 (ratio 1:1).These two register wheels are in constant rotation with shaft 6.

The hundreds wheel 27, the thousands wheel 55 and the following higher orders are driven intermittently. Each of these register wheels is connected with the drive shaft 6 by a friction clutch 24, etc.

The intermittent rotation of the wheels is accomplished in the following manner:

After the tens wheel 21 has registered the digit 9, pin 41 will be closing contact arm 39 of microswitch 37 thereby energizing solenoid 29 of the next order, thus releasing arm 31 (FIG. 5). The respective register wheel is now free to rotate. Upon deenergizing solenoid 29, spring 31 will restore arm 31 to a position where it will come into the path of one of the pins 28 (FIG. 3) to stop the register wheel.

As shown in FIG. 3, pin 28 is locked between two arms 31 and 49 (add and subtract) and will bring the register wheels to a definite stop immediately after spinning (registering) and is held positively in this rest position until arm 31 is tripped again.

What is claimed is:

1. A counting device comprising a shaft, a first drum mounted thereon, slip clutch means for driving said drum through said shaft, a plurality of spaced stops on said first drum, a stop lever which engages one of said stops to prevent rotation of said drum, means for intermittently disengaging said stop lever, whereby said drum rotates to the adjacent stop which is engaged by said lever to stop said drum.

2. A counting device according to claim 1, characterized in that said means for disengaging is a solenoid in circuit with a switch and means for intermittently closing said switch.

3. A counting device according to claim 1, characterized in that a second drum fixed to said shaft carries an operator for closing said switch.

4. A counting device according to claim 2, characterized in that a third drum mounted freely on said shaft is connected to said second drum to rotate in the ratio of to 1 relative thereto.

5. A counting device according to claim 1, characterized in that a second drum is fixed on said shaft, a third drum on said shaft adjacent and geared to said second drum, a clutch having two parts one of which is fixed on said shaft and other bears on said first drum, stop members around the periphery of said second drum, means for contacting one of said stop members to prevent rotation of said first drum, and means for releasing said first drum by disengaging said one stop member to allow rotation of said first drum.

6. A counting device according to claim 5, characterized in that the rate of rotation of said third and second drums is 10 to 1.

7. A counting device according to claim 5, characterized in that a solenoid having an armature is connected to a lever which bears against one of said stop members.

8. A counting device according to claim 5, characterized in that a microswitch actuated by rotation of said second drum is in circuit with a solenoid to release said stop member on said first drum.

9. A counting device according to claim 5, characterized in that an operating pin on said first drum is adapted to close a circuit for release of said stop member.

10. A counting device according to claim 5, characterized in that there is provided additional means for contacting one of said stop members to prevent rotation of said first drum when said shaft is moving in a direction opposite to said rotation.

11. A counting device according to claim 5, characterized in that a fourth drum is mounted on said shaft adjacent to said first drum, a second microswitch having an operating finger adapted to be actuated by said first drum controls the rotation thereof through a solenoid.

12. A counting device according to claim 5, characterized in that the rate of rotation of said third and second drums is 10 to 1, a solenoid having an armature is connected to a lever which bears against one of said stop members, a microswitch actuated by rotation of said second drum is in circuit with said solenoid to release said stop member on said first drum, an operating pin on said first drum is adapted to close a circuit for release of said stop member, there is provided additional means for contacting one of said stop members to prevent rotation of said first drum when said shaft is moving in a direction opposite to said rotation, and a fourth drum is mounted on said shaft adjacent to said first drum, a second microswitch having an operating finger adapted to be actuated by said first drum controls the rotation thereof through a solenoid.

13. A counting device according to claim 3 wherein said operator actuates said switch once for each revolution of said second drum, there being ten equally spaced stops on said first drum whereby the first drum turns onetenth of a revolution for each revolution of said second drum.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,077,666 4/ 1937 Bliss 235- 2,340,634 2/ 1944 Wiley 235-117 2,500,381 3/1950 Rockola 235-117 3,064,481 11/1962 Nicodaus 235117 RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner.

S. A. WAL, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A COUNTING DEVICE COMPRISING A SHAFT, A FIRST DRUM MOUNTED THEREON, SLIP CLUTCH MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID DRUM THROUGH SAID SHAFT, A PLURALITY OF SPACED STOPS ON SAID FIRST DRUM, A STOP LEVER WHICH ENGAGES ONE OF SAID STOPS TO PREVENT ROTATION OF SAID DRUM, MEANS FOR INTERMITTENTLY DISENGAGING SAID STOP LEVER, WHEREBY SAID DRUM ROTATES TO THE ADJACENT STOP WHICH IS ENGAGED BY SAID LEVER TO STOP SAID DRUM. 